The Marco Polo apartment, owned by the same Lila as Lila's Apartment (also on our site), is clearly a labor of love. It's very much a home - all the little details and comforts have been well thought-out and you really feel the warmth the second you walk in. The entire apartment was recently redone with a new kitchen and new bathroom, and double glazed windows that keep it extremely quiet inside. There's a washing machine, a flat-screen TV and a kitchen with eating area. The bedroom has 1 double bed and the sofa in the living room can fold out to accommodate 2 more people.

The apartment also attaches to a second, smaller apartment that consists of a bedroom and 2nd bathroom, so groups of 4 to 6, who want a two-bedroom can rent it as a "suite" -- to do so, follow the link to "Appartamento Marco Polo - 2-bedroom".

The neighborhood, Testaccio, is one that many tourists aren't familiar with, but is worth checking out, both for tourists wanting to dig a bit deeper into the 'real Rome' or for those who come for a few days and need the convenience of being right across the street from the Ostiense train station with a link to the airport. (It also has a direct train to Ostia beach!) Around here you find great, inexpensive restaurants frequented by Romans, a subway line that connects to the Colosseum and on to Termini station, as well as many buses that can take you right into the center or across the river into Trastevere in about 10-15 minutes. There are also many discotecas nearby for people wanting a taste of Rome's nightlife, and it's near the Mercato dell'Altra Economia - a large area once home to Rome's slaughterhouse that was converted to an organic restaurant, fair trade shop and overall organic shopping land. For more info on the neighborhood, check out our blog post: http://www.cross-pollinate.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/10/overlooked-neighborhoods-of-rome-part-2-testaccio/